


Soothing songs

by GeekMom13



Series: Roasting, Worldbuilding and Headcanons OhMy [4]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 23:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13691970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeekMom13/pseuds/GeekMom13
Summary: When your soulmate needs comfort, you can sing to them.Unfortunately, Yuuri had a strange song stuck in his head when he was 19





	Soothing songs

**Author's Note:**

> [Visit me on Tumblr. I take requests, talk headcanons and generally geek out over everything.](https://geekmom13.tumblr.com/)

The first time Yuuri heard the singing of his soulmate, he was five.

He had just been pushed down on the playground and was crying when the soft melody broke through, one he had never heard before in some language that he wasn’t familiar with. He looked around, trying to find who was singing the song.

No one else seemed to hear it and then it was gone.

That night his mother told him about soulmates. They could comfort each other in times of distress with songs.

The first time he heard his soulmate in distress, he started to hum out yurikago no uta until the sniffles and heart rate in his mind settled down. His mother had explained that his soulmate probably wouldn’t hear anything except a song but he did add on a _I’m glad you’re feeling better now_. Just in case.

Yuuri often wondered what his soulmate was doing, he would go through hours of little sniffles in his ears and then there would be times where silence would filter through. Just total, painful, stark silence dulling the world around him.

Yuuri had never known just how much a silence could seep through you, a heavy weight dragging you under.

Normally at the onsen, silence was a treasure. But the silence from his soulmate was different somehow.

So Yuuri would sing whatever came to mind. Sometimes it was his old lullabies. Sometimes, it was whatever was on the radio… Slowly the silence would lift and he’d realize he had the radio all the way up in order to hear the melody over the silence.

Hiroko sometimes worried about how often Yuuri would flip on the radio and sing along as he did his homework. She had to buy him headphones so he wouldn’t disturb the guests. It became second nature to him, even when the world around him wasn’t draped in heavy silence.

He had began skating with his friends Yuuko and Takeshi- well, Yuuko was his friend, Takeshi was not quite there yet. He still got a little possessive of his soulmate.

The first time he saw Victor skating, Yuuri was sure he would never forget that song.

That night, the silence fell heavier than it ever had. Yuuri couldn’t hear anything from the world around him, even with the radio all the way up. Mari written to him that the headphone weren’t broken.

So he hummed the only song he could think of- Victor’s short skate song. The silence shifted. The world rushed in around Yuuri as he heard his soulmate sob. He had only heard such a heart-wrenching cry a few times over the years.

That night they both sang to each other and cried. Yuuri hoped the next day would be better as he held his pillow close to his chest.

Takeshi’s father had started to train them and Yuuri’s determination only grew from that day. One day he needed to meet the man who’s song had brought such a reaction from his soulmate.

When Yuuri was 18, he moved to Detroit to train with Celestino. His anxiety had been bothering him a bit, but luckily he wasn’t bothering his soulmate too much. He had initially worried about the change in time zone messing with his soulmate’s sleep if he had too many attacks.

When Yuuri was 19 the silence was starting to creep in right before a competition. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to hear his music.

He quickly sang the only thing he could think of- the jingle from a gum commercial. By the third time he got to _that’s the state-mint of the great-mint_ he was giggling. Celestino was looking at him and shaking his head.

The next day, when Yuuri returned to his normal pre-competition routine (a warmup and anxiety) he heard that same song coming to him. It was awkward, poorly sung and probably the worst singing he had ever heard from his soulmate… but it worked. Yuuri was giggling again, earning strange looks from everyone who knew him.

One of the other guys he competed against regularly had slid up to him and started talking to him, asking what had him in such a good mood. Yuuri hesitated before telling him about the jingle.

Christophe became his second actual friend in skating.

It became a joke between Yuuri and his soulmate as well as Yuuri, Phichit and Christophe. There were times that before a competition, Yuuri had three people singing that awful jingle in his ears.

His anxiety didn’t go away, but having three people supporting him helped. Celestino would just shake his head and walk away. He had been through a year of watching a promising skater rip himself to shreds, a year of the kid being his own biggest enemy. If gum jingles helped him fall less, he was all for it.

When he was 23, he finally got to the same ice as Victor. He had planned to thank the older man still. But then Vicchan died.

And Yuuri fell.

And fell.

And fell.

He was sure there would be bruises everywhere the next day. His soulmate had been singing to him but he cranked his music and ignored his voice.

After a few songs, Yuuri dropped the volume and heard a melody he hadn’t heard in close to five years. A lullaby.

One he had heard so often in his early years of anxiety, before the gym jingle took over, that he had learned it.

He paused to talk to his mother, hanging up and crying again before singing along sadly.

He would never be able to thank Victor for the song that changed his entire relationship with his soulmate. He would never be able to thank him for the inspiration.

No, that would be an insult to the champion.

The lullaby was still coming through, loud and steady.

Yuuri started singing along again, between tears.

The door to the stall he was in was kicked open and he was suddenly being yelled at- told to retire and being called a moron.

As the young teen walked away he called over his shoulder that Yuuri should stop murdering that lullaby because his Russian _sucked_.

Well, that explained why he could never find it.

The shock of the intrusion had stopped the tears. Yuuri washed his face and headed out to find Celestino.

He watched as Victor walked by, giving advice to the Yuri who had just yelled at him. And then he offered a photo. Like Yuuri was nothing more than a fan.

His heart shattered and he walked away.

He didn’t see the flinch on Victor’s face or the fact that he started humming the jingle.

But Yuuri heard it and smiled.

His soulmate was the one that mattered anyway.

Celestino had taken away his phone so he never saw the interview that followed. The one where Victor explained exactly _why_ he was singing a jingle from an American gum company and how he hoped his soulmate would come meet him soon.

He missed the wave of articles about Victor’s soulmate search.

He did not miss the wave of fans trying to get into the banquet he wanted to leave, claiming to be Victor’s soulmate.

And he definitely didn’t miss the photos- the _commemorative photos_ his idol had taken with all his _adoring fans_.

Christophe had slung an arm around his shoulder, talking about how it’d get better next year and he could get a new puppy. Yuuri just drank his champagne and nodded, hoping his sadness wouldn’t call out to his own soulmate- it had been a tough enough day for the poor guy.

Yuuri had turned off most of his social media alerts and stopped following most of the blogs he used to follow for Victor in the next year, only taking the time to watch his newest program- one he dedicated to his soulmate.

Yuuri had spent hours deciding what to do, imitating that routine as he skated through his confusion. He only wished he had Yuuko nearby- they used to do this all the time.

Victor might have been rude, but could Yuuri really blame him? He had bombed out the first time they were on the ice together. Of _course_ Victor had no clue who he was.

A few months and some hard work later, Yuuri was headed back home for the first time in five years with a degree and a heavy heart. He would officially retire when he was home. The JSF paperwork shouldn’t take too long.

He never got the chance to put it in though- because a handsome foreigner showed up at the onsen, singing a familiar jingle when Yuuri panicked after the coaching offer.


End file.
